Kemm lost the use of her left hand after undergoing radiation treatment for a brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a rare condition in which there is a tangle of abnormal blood vessels connecting arteries in the brain. This was just the second time Kemm had gone back to a golf range in five years; she had taken a lesson last week and then went Sunday to hit some balls, when Gudel turned on the camera.
Five years ago my daughter, Kendall, lost use of her left hand after having radiation to treat her brain #AVM. Last week she embraced the idea of learning to play one-handed & had her first lesson. It will take some time but she’s on her way #proudmom #resiliency #avmsurvivor pic.twitter.com/gOBtxmomq5
— Leslie Gudel (@lesliegudel) July 26, 2020
As of Wednesday evening, the video had been viewed more than 986,000 times and the tweet had 49,200 likes.
After the video took off, someone tagged golfer Nick Faldo, winner of six major championships and three Masters Tournaments. Faldo was inspired, so he shared some tips.
@lesliegudel lesson 1 🏌️♂️⛳️#FaldoFormula pic.twitter.com/17bbvVNA25
— Sir Nick Faldo (@NickFaldo006) July 28, 2020
“It’s crazy,” Kemm told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. “I’m used to my mom posting things on Twitter about me and my brother, but getting the reaction like this, it’s so cool cause I don’t like to say that I have an AVM or say that I can’t do things, because I don’t want to be different. Having people say these things is so nice and so fulfilling because I’m hoping I can inspire other people and they take action in their own lives with stuff like this. I love it.”